A Structured Approach to Accessibility in Software Development Lifecycle

Accessibility is a fundamental aspect of designing and developing systems that are inclusive and usable by individuals of all abilities. Despite its importance, accessibility often receives insufficient attention during the development process, primarily due to the pressures of tight deadlines and early-stage design constraints. While existing literature largely focuses on the technical implementation of accessibility features, there is limited emphasis on enforcing accessibility as a core principle from the outset. Additionally, misconceptions persist about potential trade-offs in user experience when designing inclusive systems from the beginning. This research explores the premise that inclusive design does not compromise user experience when integrated from the initial stages of development. Through hypothesis testing, we demonstrate that systems designed with accessibility in mind deliver comparable user experiences to those developed without such considerations. We incorporated a color-blind friendly theme as an accessibility feature for the experiment. Furthermore, by surveying software engineers and analyzing their feedback, we identify practical strategies for embedding accessibility into the software development lifecycle. These include introducing fixed story points on accessibility features(color-blind friendly theme for our experiment) during the requirements phase, integrating personas of disabled people into the design and specification processes, and maintaining dedicated repositories for reusable back-end and front-end components. Our findings establish a clear framework for systematically ensuring accessibility, thereby fostering the creation of inclusive systems without adding unnecessary complexity or compromising quality.